SINGAPORE — Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. held a series of bilateral talks with his counterparts from Lithuania, Canada and New Zealand on Saturday, aimed at deepening and broadening defense and security cooperation.

On the sidelines of the 21st International Institute for Strategic Studies Shangri-La Dialogue, which opened on Friday, Lithuania Minister of National Defence Laurynas Kasčiūnas offered defense and military training on cybersecurity, among others, for the Philippines.

Teodoro instructed senior defense officials who joined him at the meeting to immediately explore areas of cooperation for a possible memorandum of understanding to develop Philippines-Lithuania defense cooperation.

Teodoro, through Kasčiūnas, also extended an invite for Lithuanians to visit the Philippines and for Lithuanian shipping companies to tap Filipino seafarers, known to be among the most skilled in the world.

Meanwhile, NZ Minister of Defense Judith Anne Collins said her country is “deeply concerned with what is happening in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).”

“New Zealand has to engage the Indo-Pacific region,” she said. “The Philippines is not the one causing the problem over there.”

They also discussed stronger defense cooperation, notably in the areas of engineering and logistics.

In his meeting with Canadian counterpart Bill Blair, Teodoro reaffirmed the “long, enduring friendly relations” between the two countries.

Blair strongly lauded the Philippines for forging defense and security alliances with countries such as the United States, Japan and South Korea.

“Canada has a major role to play in the Indo-Pacific region,” Teodoro said in return.

On Friday night, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. became the first Philippine president to keynote Asia’s premier defense forum.

He discussed the Philippines’ legal and geopolitical positions in the WPS, a vital lane for international trade and economy, and answered questions from the media. Philippine News Agency

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